Thursday, July 31, 2014

Miseo-Lunatic Confessions

Blacksmith Records2014

Unless you've spent the better part of the past twenty or so years away from society and all of it's technological advantages or you have been living under a rock (in which case I really do feel for you and you just might want to consider getting some psychological support!) chances are fairy good that (as a metalhead mind you) you are aware that Germany has a long history of producing some of the best extreme bands out there. In theory one could spend the better part of a year just listening to what this country has to offer in the way of super aggressive music and still not even get close to covering it all. Germany is simply that solid when it comes to pumping out excellent extreme bands. And now you can add another brand new name to that claim. Miseo, who were formed in 2013, are a powerhouse of a death metal trio whose sound & style draws it's strength not only from it's fellow countrymen, but also from the old-school American scene! These three German musicians made their studio debut in late August of 2013 with the EP "The Dead Will Predominate" (a release which is mostly described as being a "hasty side project") and now (with a new focus and a tighter overall feel) Miseo are back for the attack with this "take no prisoners & leave no survivors!!!" extreme full-length release! One shouldn't let the acoustic guitar piece that opens this album on "Trapped
In Veil" lull you into thinking that this will be anything but a brute of an album. Not that you'd be likely to guess otherwise given the
above album art and all (!), but once "Greed Kills" kicks in the door and pins you to the ground all bets are off! As a listener it would be wise to batten down the hatches and strap yourself in tight before you decide to play this one all the way through as Miseo are death metal rage and fury at it's fieriest! Even the slight elements of groove that are tossed about on "Lunatic Confessions" are not enough to disguise this band's true face. Like a violent caged animal that has been beaten and deprived of food this band comes out charging and slaughters everything in it's path! Even thrash gets it's fair share of performance time, but at their core this trio always seems to be dead-set on ripping out the ugliest DEATH out there! Of course it is one thing to simply play loud and fast. The real key is to do it in such a way that it actually sounds like music and not just random noise. I don't know about everyone else out there, but I love death metal that is HEAVIER then HELLand technically proficient. The cool thing about this trio then is even with death metal that sometimes borders on crustcore and grind (a lovely thing indeed!) the members of Miseo still keep everything in check. There's simply no denying the talent of these three as musicians seeing as the band does extreme like the best of them, but they do it in a way where everything comes across as well thought out and carefully constructed. And speaking of which, the band features Milking the
Goatmachine member Fernando Thielmann on vocals and guitars and I love how his rage-filled growling voice gives this long-player an unholy presence! Thielmann,
who (per the Metal Archives) also supports Carnal Ghoul on the live stage, has a lot of experience to his name as he is has
played in Bloodsky, Reincarnated and Sarx. He brings that experience to the fore-front of this project and as front-man he sets the pace for this wild pack of hungry dogs! Along with Lay Down Rotten
drummer Timo Claas (ex-Act Of Creation, ex-E 605) and bassist André Rink (ex-Amazing Grave, ex-Painspirit) guitarist/vocalist Fernando Thielmannconstructs an album that should easily appeal to old-school death metal maniacs as well as younger fans who are out looking for another extreme metal band to embrace! This German collective shows plenty of promise for the future if they can keep the pace and build on the strengths of this LP. For a first release (or at least full-length one) "Lunatic Confessions" hits all the right notes while also showing the true potential of this trio making Miseo one band that I will be keeping an eye on!

"So, in closing, fuck you METAL MARK. Fuck you, fuck Lynch Mob, and fuck your shitty website!”
“I don't know who this METAL MARK is, but I know better than to waste my time checking out anything else written by this asshole”
-Mike